Cargo Restraining System for Vehicles

ABSTRACT

A cargo restraining system for use in a trunk or cargo area of a vehicle includes at least one restraining unit. The restraining unit comprises a bottom panel, a face panel, and a back panel. The bottom panel and the face panel are hingedly attached together along adjacent edges. The back panel is hingedly attached to face panel along the edge opposite that to which the bottom panel is hingedly attached. The restraining unit can be erected from a flat configuration wherein the three panels are substantially coplanar with each other to an upstanding operational or functional configuration. In the upstanding configuration, the bottom panel sits on a surface, the face panel is pivoted upwardly to extend vertically from the surface, and the back panel is hinged downwardly at an angle and its free edge is attached to the free edge of the bottom panel. The erected restraining unit thus forms a right triangular shape when viewed from an end. Additional like restraining units can be hingedly snapped together end-to-end to form a chain of restraining units. Hook-type fasteners can be formed on the underside of the bottom panel for securement to a carpeted surface or a non-slip coating can be provided for securement to a smooth surface. When in an upstanding configuration, one or more restraining units can be positioned on a vehicle surface adjacent to items of cargo such as boxes or grocery bags. A chain of restraining units can be formed into straight, curved, or serpentine shapes to conform to the footprint of cargo in a trunk or cargo space.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

Priority is hereby claimed to the filing date of U.S. provisional patentapplication 62/623,959 entitled Cargo Restraining System for Vehiclesfiled on Jan. 30, 2018, the contents of which are hereby incorporated byreference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention exemplified by this disclosure relates generally tovehicle accessories and more specifically to devices and methods forrestraining items in a trunk or cargo area of a vehicle against shiftingand tipping during transport.

BACKGROUND

Personal use motor vehicles such as automobiles, station wagons,hatchbacks, sports utility vehicles, vans, and pick-up trucks are usedon an almost daily basis to transport people and to transport articlesfor household and other uses. Consumer articles such as groceries aretypically bagged and placed inside the vehicle on a seat, floor area,trunk area, or cargo area. Consumer articles such as potted plants aremore likely to be put into a trunk area or a back cargo area of thevehicle. Small reusable articles for occasional use such as fishingtackle, sports equipment, and the like will likely be placed in thevehicle where they can be out of sight but conveniently retrieved, forexample; the trunk or cargo area.

Anyone who has ever driven a motor vehicle knows that articles to betransported can pose a problem. Cargo such as filled grocery bags inparticular represents a widely experienced problem. They tend to fallover and spill their contents when the vehicle turns a corner even atslow speeds and certainly upon sudden stops. The problem can be lessenedin automobiles that have deep back seat floor wells by placing itemsthere. However, vehicles with a flat floor area, flat trunk area, or aflat back cargo area present a real challenge when it comes torestraining such cargo during transport.

Many individuals will carefully pack articles up against a back seat anddoor or place objects such as blankets around the articles to keep themfrom sliding around or tipping over during transport. This can workdepending on the care and effort expended by the individual. Others havepurchased various racks and organizers sold for this purpose. U.S. Pat.Nos. 4,718,584, 4,842,460 and 5,031,7669 illustrate examples of suchorganizers. Racks and organizers appear to serve their purpose. However,it is also apparent that such products take up valuable space when notin use. They also tend not to be versatile in the types of articles theycan hold effectively, nor are they easily adaptable or configurable toaccommodate objects of various shapes and sizes.

Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,244,802 of Stanesic discloses cargo holdretention system for use in trunks and cargo areas of motor vehicles.The system comprises a carpeted floor mat with at least some loopedfibers configured to fit in a defined area of the vehicle, e.g. a trunkor back cargo area. The system also includes at least one rigidretention member having at least two linear upstanding walls connectedat a substantially right angle. Hook-type fasteners are adhered to thebottom surfaces of the retention member.

In use, the hook-type fasteners on the rigid retention member ofStanesic interact with the looped fibers of the floor mat to secure theretention member firmly to the floor mat wherever it is placed. One ormore of the rigid retention members can be secured to the carpetabutting cargo such as grocery bags or boxes to prevent the cargo frommoving around or tipping over during transport. While this system is astep in the right direction, the rigid retention members neverthelessare bulky and thus expensive to pack and ship. They also take up a lotof room when not being used. Further, their fixed configuration meansthat the rigid retention members are not easily adaptable to accommodatecargo of odd shapes or cargo that forms an irregular footprint.

A need exists for a system and method of restraining cargo in a cargoarea or trunk of a vehicle such that the cargo does not slide around ortip over as it is transported. Such a system and method should have acompact configuration for packing, shipping, and storage and should beerectable into an operational configuration when needed. The systemshould be easily configurable to accommodate oddly shaped cargo andcargo that forms an unusual footprint. The system also should beadaptable to carpeted surfaces as well as non-carpeted or smoothsurfaces. It is to a cargo restraining system and method thatsuccessfully addresses these and other needs that the present inventionis primarily directed.

SUMMARY

Briefly described, a cargo restraining system comprises one andpreferably a plurality of erectable and collapsible restraining units.In one embodiment, each restraining unit, when erected to itsoperational configuration, includes a base panel having opposed edges. Aface panel has opposed edges and is hingedly attached along one of itsedges to an edge of the base panel. A back panel has opposed edges andis hingedly attached along one of its edges to the opposite edge of thebase panel. The opposed edges of the face and back panels that are notattached to the base panel are hingedly attached to each other. Thepanels are sized such that when a restraining unit is erected, it formsa right triangular wedge when sitting on its bottom panel. Morespecifically, the face panel extends vertically from one edge of thebottom panel. The back panel extends upwardly at an angle from the otherside of the base panel to the upper edge of the face panel to which itis hingedly attached.

In one embodiment, the underside of the base panel is provided withhook-type fasteners configured to grip looped fibers of a carpetedsurface when the base is placed on the carpet. Most trunk areas andcargo areas of cars and trucks are covered in carpet that has loopedfibers. When it is desired to restrain cargo in these areas, one or moreof the erected wedge-shaped restraining units of this system are placedon the carpeted surface abutting the cargo to be restrained. Thehook-type fasteners on the underside of the base panels securely gripthe carpet so that the restraining units stay put to prevent the cargofrom sliding around or tipping over in transit. When it is desired toremove the cargo at its destination, the restraining units are simplypulled away from the carpet with sufficient force to disengage thehook-type fasteners from the carpet.

In a slightly different embodiment, the base panel is larger and isprovided on its bottom side with a rubberized anti-slip surface. Thisembodiment can be used with carpeted surfaces and with non-carpeted andsmooth surfaces such as, for example, a metal surface, the surface of arubber mat, a vinyl or leather surface, or the bed of a truck torestrain cargo during transport.

Multiple restraining units can be attached end-to-end with built-inhinges to form a chain of restraining units. Since the angles areadjustable, the chain can be configured to follow the footprint ofvirtually any cargo and stuck to the carpet of a trunk or cargo area torestrain the cargo. For shipping and storage, restraining units can becollapsed to a flat configuration by disengaging one set of hinges thatattach the panels together and unfolding the panels until they are flat.When two restraining units are attached end-to-end, each can be unfoldedand then one can be folded over onto the other to form a double-thickbut flat configuration. Thus, the restraining units require only afraction of the space in a package or in a storage area than prior artmolded restrainers.

Accordingly, a cargo restraining system is disclosed that successfullyaddresses the problems and shortcomings of prior art cargo restraintsand offers additional unique and beneficial features beyond what can beoffered by the prior art. These and other features, aspects, andbenefits of the system will be understood better upon review of thedetailed description set forth below taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing figures, which are briefly described as follows.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an erected restraining unit of the cargorestraining system that exemplifies principles of the invention on onepreferred embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing two erected restraining unitshingedly attached together at their ends.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing two erected restraining unitshingedly attached at their ends, adhered to a carpeted surface, andrestraining cargo in the form of a box.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a restraining unit in its collapsed flatconfiguration for packaging, shipping, and storage.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the face panel of a restraining unitdisconnected from other panels of the unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the base panel of a restraining unitdisconnected from other panels of the unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the back panel of a restraining unitdisconnected from other panels of the unit.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of two restraining units hingedly connectedat their ends with one unit pivoted 180 degrees to form a triangularcargo restraint.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of two restraining units hingedly connectedat their ends and arranged in a co-linear orientation to form a longcargo restraint.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of two restraining units hingedlyconnected at their ends and pivoted to form an angled cargo restraint.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the presentinvention for use on carpeted or smooth or non-carpeted surfaces.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the base of the embodiment of FIG. 11showing hinge attachment locations for attaching face panels and backpanels.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the bottom of the base of FIG. 12showing a non-slip coating thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in more detail to the drawing figures,wherein like reference numerals indicate like parts throughout theseveral views. FIG. 1 shows a single restraining unit of the system inits erected operational configuration for restraining cargo. Therestraining unit 11 includes a base panel 12, a face panel 13, and aback panel 14, all of which are substantially rectangular in thisexemplary embodiment. The face panel 13 is hingedly connected along itsbottom edge to the front edge of the base panel 12 by means of snaphinges 16 and 17. The back panel 14 is hingedly connected along itsbottom edge to the back edge of the base panel 12 by means of snaphinges 21 and 22 (FIG. 2). The top edges of the face panel and the backpanel are hingedly connected together by means of snap hinges 18 and 19.This forms a right triangular restraining member with a face panel thatextends vertically upwardly from the base panel and a back panel thatextends at an angle from the top edge of the face panel to the back edgeof the base panel.

Snap hinge barrels 23 and 24 are formed on one end of the face panel 13and snap hinge pins 26 and 27 are formed on the other end of the facepanel 13. These features allow two or more restraining units to behingedly connected together at the ends of their face panels 13 to forma chain of restraining units, as detailed below. Snap hinges are knownin the art. To form a hinged connection between panels, snap hingebarrels of one panel are urged with some force against the snap hingepins of another panel. The snap hinge barrels expand slightly under theforce to snap around corresponding snap hinge pins such that the panelsbecome hingedly connected together. The panels can then be pivotedaround the hinged connection to position the panels at a desired anglewith respect to each other.

While snap hinges are illustrated in the preferred exemplaryembodiments, it will be understood that other mechanisms of attachingpanels together with a hinged connection may be substituted withequivalent results. Examples include hook-and-loop fasteners, livehinges, strips of fabric or other flexible material, traditional hingepins slid through hinge barrels, and rubber flaps just to name a few.For purposes of this disclosure, the term “snap hinge” is intended tomean and include any type of fastening mechanism by which panels ofrestraining units can be connected together along their edges so thatthe panels can be hinged relative to one another.

FIG. 2 illustrates two restraining units of the invention with theirface panels hingedly connected together at corresponding ends. Toconnect them, the snap hinge barrels at an end of one of the face panelsare snapped onto the snap hinge pins on the opposite end of the otherface panel as described above. In this figure, the two attachedrestraining units are pivoted relative to one another so that their facepanels extend at a right angle. In such a configuration, the connectedrestraining units might be used, for example, to restrain a bottomcorner of a box or other angularly shaped cargo.

Restraining such an angular object is illustrated in FIG. 3, which showscargo in the form of a box 29 sitting on a carpeted surface 28 of avehicle trunk or cargo area. Two restraining units 31 are configuredwith their face plates forming a right angle and the units arepositioned on the carpeted surface abutting a bottom corner of the box.The underside of the bottom panels of the restraining units are providedin this particular example with hook-type fasteners 37 (FIG. 4) so thatthe restraining units stick firmly but removably by hook-and-loopadhesion to the carpeted surface. Of course, additional restrainingunits may be placed at other corners of the box or against sides of thebox if desired. In such a scenario, the restraining units prevent thebox from sliding or tipping over during transport and thereby constitutean embodiment of the cargo retaining system of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows a restraining unit 11 of the illustrated embodimentcollapsed to its flat shipping and storage configuration with the frontsurface of the face panel facing downwardly. To collapse the restrainingunit, the snap hinge connections 32, 33, 36, and 37 along the bottomedge of the back panel 13 and the back edge of the base panel 12 arepulled apart and separated. The panels of the restraining unit can thenbe pivoted along the remaining hinged connections until the panels aresubstantially co-planar to form the flat shipment and storageconfiguration shown in FIG. 4.

In the illustrated embodiment, a field of hook-type fasteners 37 isvisible in FIG. 4 on the underside of the base panel 12. These hook-typefasteners may be formed on a strip of material adhered to the undersideof the base panel. Preferably, however, they are integrally formed withthe base panel itself through a process such as that disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 7,438,845 of McVicker, the entire contents of which is herebyincorporated by reference. When an erected restraining unit is placed ona carpeted surface with at least some looped fibers, such as thecarpeted floor of a trunk or cargo area, a familiar hook-and-loopadhesion is formed. The adhesion holds the restraining unit firmly butremovably in place on the carpeted surface. In this way one or multiplerestraining units can be positioned on the surface as needed to restraincargo thereon against sliding and tipping over during transport.

While hook-and-loop adhesion is preferred for removably securingrestraining units to a carpeted surface, it will be understood that theinvention is not limited to hook-and-loop adhesion or to use on carpetedsurfaces only. Other mechanisms for removably securing restraining unitsin place may be substituted within the scope of the invention. Forexample, fabrics with small mushroom-shaped fibers are available thatfunction much like hook-and-loop fasteners to adhere objects releasablytogether. Many singed synthetic fabrics exhibit this feature. Mechanicalfasteners are also available that couple together by mechanicalinterference such as in the familiar Lego® building blocks.

For use of the cargo restraint system on metal surfaces, the hook-typefasteners on the bottom of the base panel in the exemplary embodimentmight be replaced with magnets. Or, as illustrated in the embodiment ofFIGS. 11-13 and discussed in detail below, a rubberized or othernon-slip surface coating might be applied to the bottom of a base foruse on smooth or non-carpeted surfaces as well as carpeted surfaces.Thus, the discussion of “hook-and-loop” fasteners in the first exemplaryembodiment should be understood to encompass these alternatives and anyother system by which one object may be secured to another object insuch a way that it resists sliding but can be removed when desired.

FIGS. 5-7 show the individual panels of a restraining unit disconnectedfrom each other. The face panel 13 (FIG. 5) is generally rectangular andis formed with snap hinge barrels 51 along its top edge and snap hingebarrels 52 along its bottom edge. Snap hinge barrels 53 are formed alongthe left end of the face panel and snap hinge pins 54 are formed alongthe right end. With barrels along the left end and pins along the rightend, a plurality of face panels can be hingedly connected end-to-end toform a chain. The base panel 12 (FIG. 6) is generally rectangular inthis embodiment and is formed with snap hinge pins 38 and 39 along itsfront edge and snap hinge pins 41 and 42 along its back edge. The snaphinge barrels 52 of the face panel snap onto the snap hinge pins 38 and39 of the base panel to connect the two panels hingedly together.

The back panel 14 (FIG. 7) is generally rectangular in shape and isformed with snap hinge pins 43 and 44 along its top edge and snap hingebarrels 46 and 47 along its bottom edge. The snap hinge barrels 46 and47 can be snapped onto the snap hinge pins 41 and 42 along the back edgeof the base panel 12 (FIG. 6) to connect these two panels hingedlytogether. The snap hinge barrels 51 of the face panel 13 (FIG. 5) snaponto the snap hinge pins 43 and 44 along the top edge of the back panel14 to attach these panels hingedly together. When all of the snap hingecomponents are snapped together, the restraining unit is erected and inits operation configuration as shown in FIG. 1.

As mentioned, two or more restraining units can be hingedly connectedtogether at the ends of their face panels to form a chain or chains ofrestraining units. The illustrative drawings show only two restrainingunits connected in this way, but it will be understood that additionalunits can be chained together to form a restraining system of a desiredlength. When two restraining units are hingedly connected, they can bepivoted along their hinged connection to form a desired configuration.FIG. 8, for example, shows two restraining units 11 a and 11 b hingedlyconnected together. Restraining unit 11 a is pivoted 180 degrees withrespect to restraining unit 11 b so that their face plates arejuxtaposed against one another. This forms a triangular restrainingsystem that might, for example, be used as a chock to prevent roundedobjects from moving during transport.

FIG. 9 shows two restraining units 11 a and 11 b hingedly connectedtogether with restraining unit 11 a pivoted zero (0) degrees withrespect to restraining unit 11 b. This forms a restraining system thatis straight and twice as long as a single restraining unit. Thisconfiguration may be useful, for example, to restrain cargo that is longand narrow. Finally, FIG. 10 shows the units 11 a and 11 b hingedlyconnected together and pivoted to an arbitrary acute angle between zero(0) degrees and 180 degrees. From these three examples, it will beappreciated that a plurality of restraining units can be chainedtogether end-to-end and that the resulting chain can be formed intovirtually any shape from straight to arcuate to serpentine as needed tosurround cargo and prevent it from sliding and tipping during transport.

FIGS. 11-13 illustrate an alternate embodiment of the present inventionfor use on smooth or non-carpeted surfaces as well as on carpetedsurfaces. Such surfaces might include, for instance, a metal surface,the top surface of a rubber floor mat; the vinyl or leather surface of aseat or the metal bed of a truck. Many of the details such as the hingebarrels and hinge pins are the same as those of the prior embodiment,and those details will not be described again in detail. FIG. 11 shows acargo restraining unit made up of a first restraining unit 61 and asecond restraining unit 62. The first restraining unit 61 comprises avertical face panel 69 and an angled back panel 71. Likewise, the secondrestraining unit 62 comprises a vertical face panel 69 and an angledback panel 73. The face panels 61 and 62 are hingedly connected togetheralong hinge line 63 with snap hinges as described above. Face panel 69is hingedly connected to back panel 71 along hinge line 74 and facepanel 72 is hingedly connected to back panel 73 along hinge line 76.

Unlike the prior embodiment, the restraining units 61 and 62 in thisembodiment are attached to a base 64. As shown in FIG. 12, base 64 isprovided with a first group of snap hinge pins 66 and a second group ofsnap hinge pins 67. Restraining unit 61 is attached to base 64 bysnapping its snap hinge barrels onto the hinge pins of the first group66 of the base as shown at 83 and 87. Restraining unit 62 is attached tobase 64 by snapping its snap hinge barrels onto the hinge pins of thesecond group 67 as shown at 84 and 86. In the illustrated embodiment,the snap hinge pins of group 66 are arranged at a right angle to thesnap hinge pins of group 67. So, for this example, the restraining units61 and 62 are arranged at right angles to each other. However, this isnot a limitation of the invention and bases with variously angled snaphinge pins may be used and are within the scope of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 13, the bottom side of the base 64 is provided with anexposed surface made of a non-slip material 68. The material 68 may beany appropriate material such as a rubber sheet, a polymer sheet, arubberized foam, a jell, or any other material that resists slipping ona surface. When placed on a surface, the non-slip material 68 resistssliding on the surface by creating sliding friction between the material68 and the surface. Further, since the base spans the space between thefront faces of two restraining units, most cargo restrained by thesystem rests on the base 64. This imparts weight to the base 64, furtherenhancing its non-slip properties. So, this embodiment of the inventionmay be used, for example, at the bottom corners of a box of cargo in thebed of a pickup truck, a rubber floor mat, or a leather seat to restrainthe box and prevent it from sliding around during transport.

The invention has been described herein in the context of the exampleembodiments shown in the drawing figures and described above. However,these are only examples of how the broader invention may be carried out.The skilled artisan will recognize that a wide gamut of additions,deletions, and modifications, both subtle and gross, might be made tothe illustrated examples without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention. For example, while the example panels of the illustratedembodiments are made of molded plastic, this is not a limitation of theinvention as they can be made of any sufficiently rigid material such aspaperboard, leather, and carbon composite. Furthermore, the snap hingeconnection system of the example embodiments may be replaced with anyconnection system that allows the panels to be erected and collapsed asdescribed above. Live hinges, traditional hinges with removable hingepins, hook-and-loop strips, and rubber fins are some examples.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cargo restraining system for vehiclescomprising: a first panel having top, bottom, and side edges; a secondpanel having top, bottom, and side edges; a base; the first panel beingattached to the base at its bottom edge with a hingeable attachment andextending upwardly at a first angle to the top edge of the first panel;the second panel being attached at its bottom edge to the base with ahingeable attachment and extending upwardly at a second angle to the topedge of the second panel; the top edges of the first and second panelsbeing attached together with a hingeable attachment; at least one of thehingeable attachments being selectively detachable such that, upondetachment, the cargo restraining system can be folded to asubstantially flat configuration for shipping and storage.
 2. A cargorestraining system for vehicles as claimed in claim 1 wherein the firstangle is a right angle.
 3. A cargo restraining system for vehicles asclaimed in claim 2 wherein the second angle is an acute angle.
 4. Acargo restraining system for vehicles as claimed in claim 1 wherein thefirst panel and the second panel are generally rectangular in shape. 5.A cargo restraining system for vehicles as claimed in claim 4 whereinthe base is generally rectangular in shape and wherein the first paneland the second panel are attached to the base along opposing edges ofthe base.
 6. A cargo restraining system for vehicles as claimed in claim4 wherein the base is non-rectangular and has at least three edges andwherein a first set of first and second panels are attached to the basealong a first edge and a second set of first and second panels areattached to the base along a second edge, the first set and second setforming and angle with respect to each other and the base spanning thespace between the first and second sets of panels.
 7. A cargorestraining system for vehicles as claimed in claim 1 further comprisinghook-type fasteners on the bottom of the base configured to grip andreleasably hold the cargo restraining system on a carpeted surface.
 8. Acargo restraining system for vehicles as claimed in claim 7 wherein thehook-type fasteners are formed on ribbons of material secured to thebottom of the base.
 9. A cargo restraining system for vehicles asclaimed in claim 7 wherein the hook-type fasteners are integrally formedwith the base.
 10. A cargo restraining system for vehicles as claimed inclaim 1 further comprising a non-slip coating on the bottom of the baseconfigured to resist sliding movement on a smooth surface.
 11. A cargorestraining system for vehicles as claimed in claim 10 wherein thenon-slip coating comprises a rubberized material, a rubber sheet, apolymer sheet, a rubberized foam, or a jell.
 12. A cargo restrainingsystem for vehicles as claimed in claim 1 wherein all of the hingeableattachments are selectively detachable.
 13. A cargo restraining systemfor vehicles as claimed in claim 12 wherein the hingeable attachmentscomprise snap-hinge attachments.
 14. A cargo restraining system forvehicles as claimed in claim 1 further comprising selectively detachablehinged attachment features along the side edges of the first panel suchthat the first panel on one system can be hingedly attached to the firstpanel of another system to form a selectively configurable chain ofcargo restraining systems.
 15. An erectable and collapsible restrainingunit for use in a cargo restraining system for vehicles, the restrainingunit comprising at least three panels having top and bottom edges andside edges, the panels being selectively hingedly attachable to eachother along their edges in such a way that the at least three panels canbe folded into a flat configuration for shipment and storage and foldedinto a functional configuration wherein at least one of the panelsbecomes a base and another one of the panels projects upwardly from thebase to form an upstanding wall for restraining cargo.
 16. An erectableand collapsible restraining unit for use in a cargo restraining systemfor vehicles as claimed in claim 15 wherein two of the panels projectupwardly from the base and form an angle with respect to each other whenthe unit is in the functional configuration.
 17. An erectable andcollapsible restraining unit for use in a cargo restraining system forvehicles as claimed in claim 16 wherein the base is provided withhook-type fasteners on a bottom surface such that the unit can be placedon a carpeted surface and retained in position through interaction ofthe hook-type fasteners and the fabric of the carpeted surface.
 18. Anerectable and collapsible restraining unit for use in a cargorestraining system for vehicles as claimed in claim 16 wherein the baseis provided with a non-slip coating on a bottom surface such that theunit can be placed on a smooth surface and retained in position throughsliding friction between the smooth surface and the non-slip coating.19. A method of restraining cargo on a surface of a vehicle fortransport, the method comprising the steps of: erecting a cargorestraining unit from a flat storage configuration to an upstandingfunctional configuration; and releasably securing the cargo restrainingunit to the surface of the vehicle adjacent the cargo to be restrained.20. The method of claim 19 wherein the surface of the vehicle iscarpeted and wherein the cargo restraining unit is provided withhook-type fasteners on a bottom surface of a base, the releasablysecuring step comprising placing the cargo restraining unit on thesurface of the vehicle with the hook-type fasteners engaging the carpet.21. The method of claim 19 wherein the surface of the vehicle is smoothand wherein the cargo restraining unit is provided with a non-slipcoating on a bottom surface of a base, the releasably securing stepcomprising placing the cargo restraining unit on the surface of thevehicle with the non-slip coating engaging the surface.